Average temp

[cookielove]

After reading several threads in this topic about temps, i am really curious to know, what you mn's feel is a fever in your child, i work in a nursery where a child is usually only sent home with a temp over 38, and thats at a push and a shove (to the manager) but def if over 38.5.

So what do you think is a fever in your child?

[whomovedmychocolate]

Well for mine, average temp is 36, not 37, but we consider 38.2 to be the point at which it's a fever and 38.5 means it needs reducing.

DS has managed to hit 40.4 when he was v sickly. Now that was scary!

[cookielove]

oh my that is very high, i can imagine the panic

[PrefetParfait]

There are medical definitions of fever.

I think that above 37.5C is mild fever
37.6-38.5C is fever and 38.5C is a high fever (off the top of my feeling feverish head).

I think what you are asking is where, as a parent, do you start treating/keeping home etc.

Personally - will send to nursery up to about 37.2ish, as I think that is within normal variation (unless obviously unwell).

Paracetamol if above 37.5 and complaining

Ibuprofen/paracetamol alternate dosing above 38C

[whomovedmychocolate]

cookielove and if that ever happens you apply paracetamol AND ibuprofen together, strip them off and wait an hour hopefully. DS fitted once but was fine afterward - we still spent a week in hospital though with me also having the same symptoms right next to him (this was pre-swine flu)

[cookielove]

not really asking whether you keep your child at home and treat, more of what temp generally concerns you as parent.

My mananger has a child and she is always saying that 38 really isn't that high, and having dealt with her own child with high temps we shouldn't be sending them home at 38, so she makes us wait to 38.5 or above.
Although we have meant several several children home with temps of 38, as they are clearly not well

[whomovedmychocolate]

Well it might not be for her child - if she has a crap thermometer and his average temperature is 37.5 - you can see her point. There is a wide range of normal - largely influenced by the crapness of many thermometers.

Personally I'd be concerned with kids with temps that they are contagious and should be at home in any case!

[PrefetParfait]

I would be wanting her to send children home before 38. Not because I wan worried so much about the child; but the fact that in the vast majority of instances a fever is indicative of infection. And in a childcare setting you shouldn't have a potentially contagious child there.

As a parent I would want my child with me if they have a temp of 37.5+

[FagAshLil]

Depends which child,
DD (nearly 16 mths) often its 39 for no real reason, so teething, bit of a cold, we control with calpl/brufen
(That said she's been hospitalised twice so far because we couldn't control her temp-over 40 with meds)
Ds is 2.10, If his temp hit 38.5 I'd be worried, so 39
with him would be call a doc time.

[cookielove]

if we give calpol, the child is sent home, and we work at getting the temp down first, before giving calpol, with clothes being removed and drinks given e.t.c

Personally thats what i think is wrong that every child isn't her child and is different and we should look at each case individually

[bubbleymummy]

I thought that 38 was considered a fever and 39 + was a high fever. TBH I think it really does depend on the child and on the illness! Some serious illnesses don't produce that high a fever while other less serious ones will have your child burning up. I don't treat a temp just because it's a temp - I watch DS and make a judgement based on his behaviour. DS has had a temp of 40 before but has been happily playing with his toys and chatting away!He does seem to burn quite a high fever quite comfortably though whereas some of my friend's children get v uncomfortable when they get near 39 - we're all different! If he does seem uncomfortable I will always try to reduce the fever naturally first before giving paracetemol because I do think the temp is there for a reason and I don't want to suppress his body's own response - just maybe reduce it slightly to make him feel a bit better. I sometimes feel that paracetemol does a but too 'good' a job at lowering the temp and makes the illness last a bit longer as a result. DS has only ever burned v hot for a short period of time and then shakes off the illness v quickly.

[squeakywheel]

I usually give mine medicine for a fever if it's getting close to 39 (with an ear thermometer) or they're very miserable and lethargic. Definitely for anything close to 40, but I haven't always worried that much (perhaps enough!) when it's been 40 or more provided they're not feeling too bad. I would panic if it was close to 40 with an underarm thermometer though as I'd know that meant closer to 41 with an ear one.

[aristocat]

when DS was nearly 3yo he was very poorly and having febrile convulsions.
had temps of 41 quite often.......we were all worried sick.
during one seizure took him to GP who immediately sent us to hospital.
hes 7 now and i still get a little panic when he gets a high temp( dont think this feeling will ever go away!!)